


Gunmetal and Smoke

by LaoisePotter



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, More tags and characters to be added, Other, historical fiction - Freeform, revolutionary war AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:07:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22627567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaoisePotter/pseuds/LaoisePotter
Summary: As whispers of war pierce the air and a new age begins to dawn on the restless colonies of America, Emmett Nolan seeks to start a simple life for himself as a blacksmith in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony. It doesn't take long, however, before a whirlwind of change and challenges crashes into his forge, and the only sound louder than the cannons ringing out across the river is the voice of a Loyalist who made the mistake of following him from Albany. As Emmett struggles to make choices and his secrets build up, he learns that there's more than one way to forge a future, more than one way to win a war, and more than one way to truly be yourself.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Albany, 1774

_My family,_

_T_ _ensions grow high in Boston these days, and for better or worse, so does business. Springtime in Albany is over tomorrow, as I have shod the last Schuyler steed and will be making my way eastward in the morning. Mister Schuyler has graciously invited me to dine with himself and his family tonight as a thanks, and well-wishes for the journey ahead. It’s likely to be my last full meal for a while – building a forge from the ground up is sure to take up most of my waking hours for weeks to come. With luck, Nick has received the money I sent on ahead and has already begun laying the foundation of the future. I can hardly believe this time has come, and yet, I can hardly wait to begin._

_Part of me wishes it hasn’t come with such heavy talk of war. There’s a quiet fear that settles in my stomach alongside the simmering excitement whenever I think of what the seasons may bring. Either way, I hope to have my forge built and my name flying like the whispers of revolution about town by summer’s end. Let us hope the sun does not bake us alive before then. The plot of land by the edge of the water is, optimistically, bound to be ideal for sea breezes._

“Mister Nolan?”

Emmett looked up from his writing. Muffled footsteps approached from the other side of the bedroom door and a knock sounded gently through the room. “Mister Nolan, it’s time to come down for dinner.”

“Of course, Miss Schuyler,” Emmett replied. “I’ll be there in a moment.”

The lightest chuckle floated through the door before the footsteps retreated and it made Emmett smile. “Peggy,” he said fondly as he put his pen to paper again.

_Until then, my final weeks in Albany come to a close. A Schuyler sister calls, and I must dine. I look forward to whatever tonight has in store for me._

_E._ _Nolan_

Emmett closed his journal and stretched, relishing the feeling of each joint that cracked and popped in response. The candlelight flickered as he exhaled heavily and rolled his head for good measure. “Albany.” He tucked the book into the bag on the floor and placed it by the door, ready for his imminent departure. “Who would have guessed I might truly miss you?”

Laughter echoed through the foyer as Emmett descended the curved stairs of the Schuyler house. He rounded the corner into the dining room and found himself face-to-face with an unfamiliar pair of brown eyes. “Oh!”

“Oh!” The eyes blinked, and the red mouth below them smiled. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Emmett stepped back. “I don’t believe so either.” His breath caught in his throat for the briefest moment, but he quickly bowed his head at the woman before him. “I…Emmett Nolan, at your service.”

“Alice, darling.” Angelica appeared at the woman’s side, slipping her arm through hers. “This is Mister Nolan, the best blacksmith Albany has seen in years.” She gave Emmett a coy smile. “Father said so himself.”

Emmett let out a chuckle of disbelief. “I find that hard to believe, Miss Schuyler, but I do appreciate the sentiment. Er, Mister Schuyler, I…” It took some effort to look away, but he managed to turn his gaze from this woman, this Alice, to his host by the head of the table. “I did no know you were expecting company tonight. I can take my leave, if need be?”

“Nonsense, Emmett.” Schuyler gestured to the seat at his right side. “There’s plenty to eat, and tonight, you are as much our guest as Miss Greene here.”

“She was meant to arrive tomorrow, but the road from Philadelphia must have been quite clear.” Grinning, Angelica gave the woman’s arm a small squeeze. “Lucky for us.”

“Yes, very lucky,” Emmett echoed without thinking, and cleared his throat. “Miss Greene, was it?”

The woman’s smile widened. “Alyssa Greene, at _your_ service, Mister Nolan.”

Almost as if he knew how blank Emmett’s mind had suddenly become, Schuyler clapped his hands together and motioned for a servant to begin filling glasses. “Now that introductions have been made, let us sit and eat,” he declared. “Miss Greene must be famished, and Mister Nolan, I have been looking forward to hearing stories of your travels through New York.”

“Of course, Mister Schuyler.” Alyssa nodded towards Emmett. “Let us talk over dinner.”

Resisting the urge to down the nearest cup of wine, Emmett followed Angelica and Alyssa to the table and pulled out a chair for each of them. As their bright faces beamed up at him, he felt himself growing red and quickly rounded the table to take his own seat. _Oh, Emma, you’re in it now, aren’t you?_ As casually as possible, he drained half of his wine. _This is going to be a memorable night._


	2. Dinner at the Schuyler's

Alyssa Greene was devastatingly beautiful. Every time Emmett forgot himself and looked at her that night, it rattled him to the core, like Jesus Christ himself boxed his ears with such a vengeance that he lost his balance and fell, right into her bright, smiling eyes. Fortunately for him, the Schuyler’s were a very sociable family, and eager to reacquaint themselves with their old friend.

“How are things in Philadelphia, Miss Greene?”

It kept the attention off of his rapidly flushing face.

“Tense, to say the very least. My mother’s nerves seem to be hanging on by a thread some days,” Alyssa said, putting her glass down to brush an errant curl behind her ear. “It’s a wonder she let me venture outside our house, much less travel to Albany on my own.”

Schuyler made a noise of acknowledgement and took a sip of wine. “Does she have any particular…inclinations, shall we say, towards an opinion when it comes to the revolutionary movement?”

The whole house seemed to hesitate as the question hung low in the air above the table. Slowly and deliberately, Alyssa dabbed at her mouth and placed the napkin carefully back on her lap. “Above everything else,” she said levelly, “She believes it is dangerous and foolish, and holds fast to her loyalty to the Crown. She wants it over and done with quickly.” Her eyes flicked up to meet Schuyler’s, a grim sort of understanding in them. “With each passing day, that seems further and further from the realm of possibilities.”

“And you, Miss Greene?”

Everyone, including Emmett, looked surprised that he had spoken up. For some reason unbeknownst to him, it made the shadow that crossed Alyssa’s face disappear with a smile. “I have yet to find a good enough reason to disagree, Mister Nolan,” she replied, taking her silverware in both gloved hands to cut into a slice of meat. She lifted the bite to her mouth and met his eyes across the table. “Perhaps if the proper son of liberty comes along, I can be convinced.”

Angelica let out an unladylike snort, and the tension in the room dissolved into light chuckles as Emmett flushed crimson in the candlelight.

* * *

“Well, I ended up spending more time in Red Hook than I intended to. One of the farmers came to me with every single one of his tools broken.”

“Every one?” Peggy asked, leaning forward with interest.

“Every one. The frosts were harsh this winter, and he didn’t seem to learn his lesson with the first saw that broke against a tree.” Emmett sat back comfortably in his chair. “A couple of them were simply too old and brittle to survive the hard ground. I made him a new hoe and a shovel head before I left.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, Mister Nolan, how did you come into the smithing trade?” Alyssa spoke up suddenly, peering at him over her glass. “Is it a family practice?”

Emmett almost choked on his wine. “Um…” He quickly cleared his throat and met her eyes with a quirked smile. “Nothing quite like that, I’m afraid, Miss Greene. Both of my parents passed on when I was fairly young, and I was lucky enough to come by the smithy not long after. It took some time and hard labor, but eventually he made me his apprentice, and I’ve been a smith ever since.”

Alyssa nodded. “And is travelling what you enjoy doing with those skills acquired?”

“Well, as grateful as I am for the opportunity to see much of New York and meet new people, this is simply the final part of my training.” He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. “I leave to set up a permanent business in Boston in the morning.”

“Boston?” Alyssa’s gaze flicked over to meet Angelica’s for a moment before returning to his. “You’re brave to go where tensions are highest these days. Do you plan on supplying for His Majesty’s soldiers, Mister Nolan?”

The grin faltered just a bit as Emmett’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’m more of a shoesmith and a bladesmith than a gunsmith, but yes, if the need arises and the price is right.”

“And if you are commanded?” Alyssa asked innocently.

Emmett chuckled. “No God-fearing man would dare command a blacksmith in his own forge.”

“And if he does not fear God?”

Once again, Alyssa Greene was the center of a sudden silence that fell over the room. She kept her gaze trained on Emmett, brows raised just enough to perpetuate the illusion of innocence while a touch of mischief sparkled in her eyes. For a few moments, all Emmett could do was open and shut his mouth, gaping dumbly in response. His own attention flicked from Alyssa to Angelica seated next to her, whose delight was written all over her face, clearly pleased out of her mind to see him so wildly bewildered. A bark of laughter that fell from his own mouth brought Emmett back to himself and he rallied with a shake of his head. “I don’t know where you found each other, but Miss Schuyler, you seem to have discovered the one person on Earth who could match your wit word for word,” he stated, unable to keep the grin off his face.

This reaction seemed to relax the playful guise Alyssa had put on, and she offered both Emmett and her host a more genuine, shy smile. “I apologize if I offend with my candor, Mister Nolan, Mister Schuyler. I am made bold by the more…liberating company that I keep tonight. It is quite the contrast to the reserved kind I keep at home.”

“With his three eldest being the cleverest girls in all of New York, Father doesn’t have much say in just how candid we are.” Elizabeth stood up and moved around the back of her father’s chair to hug him around the shoulders. “At the dinner table, at least.”

Schuyler laughed and patted his daughter’s arms. “Quite right, my Eliza. And, to speak truth, I am loathe to have it any other way.”

* * *

The setting sun stretched a pale orange ribbon along the horizon and tinged the underbellies of the whispy clouds red as they hung low in the sky, letting the evening star herald twilight uncompromised. With dinner settling comfortably in her stomach, Alyssa strolled across the Schuyler grounds at a leisurely pace, breathing in the early summer air. She could imagine the dust and grime from the bustling streets of Philadelphia clearing out of her lungs with each sigh and felt lighter with every step across the soft grass. In the fading light, she noticed a horse stood outside the barn next to the carriage house, and a figure crouched in front of it, seemingly studying its front leg. She squinted and realized it was Emmett, wearing a blacksmith’s apron with his originally slicked-back hair sticking out in all directions as he examined the hoof of the horse— _her_ horse, Alyssa realized after a moment. She approached slowly, not exactly sneaking up on the smith, but giving herself enough time to hear what he was muttering to himself.

“That’s it, there’s a strong leg. I bet you’re happy to have a new shoe now, aren’t you?”

The horse snorted. Emmett breathed a laugh. “Yes, I’m sure you are. You’ve had a long journey. I’d say you’ve earned it.”

The gentleness in his voice made Alyssa’s heartstrings twinge just a little. She began to walk normally again, and nodded at Emmett when he noticed her approach. “You’re quite kind to have done that for her,” she said, offering him a hand.

Emmett hesitated for only a moment before he took it and allowed her to help him stand. “Well, with some twilight glow left, I figured I’d make the most of it. Besides…” He watched the mare as she tapped at the ground with her freshly shoed hoof and his face softened further. “I love to see them well pleased.”

Oh. Emmett’s smile was wonderful. He had smiled at dinner, of course, but his eyes didn’t crinkle the way they did now, nor did his face light up quite this much. He looked infinitely more comfortable on one knee in the twilight than he did sitting at the dinner table in the flickering candles. There were a few spots of dust on his clothes and a streak of something metallic across one of his cheeks, certainly uncouth for a Schuyler guest, but something about this whole picture made the word “home” flit across Alyssa’s mind briefly and drew a smile across her face as well.

“Well, my good farrier, how much do you charge?”

Emmett chuckled. “Miss Greene, I am happy to have done this for nothing.”

“Nonsense, Mister Nolan, you’re a tradesman. You must be fairly compensated for your fine and fast work.”

With a good-natured shake of his head, Emmett moved to the other side of the horse. “Very well.” He reached out and stroked along her mahogany-colored side. “My current rate for ‘fine’ is this fair lady’s name, and for ‘fast’,”—he glanced at Alyssa, a sparkle of mirth in his eyes—“A secret nigh nobody in the world knows about.”

“You strike a hard bargain, Mister Nolan.” Alyssa stepped forward to cradle the horse’s head in her hands. “But I am quite a wealthy woman. Her name is Morgiana.”

“Hmm, quite elegant.”

“And I am a whittler.”

Emmett’s head appeared over Morgiana’s, his eyebrows nearly at his hairline. “Really?” His eyes flicked down to Alyssa’s hands. “Those gloves hide the calloused hands of a wood carver?”

“There is a reason I rarely take them off in mixed company.”

“Any man who may judge a woman by how hard she works is not worth a moment of her free time.”

Alyssa looked up. Emmett was gazing at her with an expression so kind and sincere that it sent an unfamiliar wave of warmth rushing down her spine. Clearing her throat, Alyssa ignored the blush rising in her cheeks and raised an eyebrow at him. “Careful, Mister Nolan, someone might mistake you for a gentleman.”

“We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?” With a cheeky smile, Emmett turned his attention back to the mare and gave her one final pat on the shoulder. “Goodnight, Morgiana. Thank you for being patient with me.”

Morgiana tossed her head and bumped it against Emmett’s, causing him to chuckle. Alyssa smiled. “She likes you.”

“Being liked by beautiful creatures is a talent of mine.”

The comment hung in the air like a red-bellied cloud as Emmett looked at Alyssa, and Alyssa looked at Emmett, and she felt something hot sink low in her belly at the unexpected, unabashed coyness in his eyes. The spell broke before she could respond as Emmett stepped away from Morgiana and gave Alyssa a short bow of his head. “Goodnight, Miss Greene. I hope to see you again before I depart.”

As he began to walk away, Alyssa felt her tongue unstick from the roof of her mouth and she took a couple of quick steps towards him. “I shall rise with the sun, Mister Nolan,” she said, feeling her face heat up once again, “if only to be sure your last view of Albany is a memorable one.”

Emmett hesitated in his walk, then turned around to meet her burning gaze with one more dazzling smile. “Then there is little doubt that I will ever forget this city and all it brought me.”

Alyssa watched him as he moved towards the house, his silhouette blurring a little the further he got, and she put a hand on her stomach to steady her breathing. “Goodnight, Mister Nolan,” she whispered, so only Morgiana and the rising moon could hear the tinge of desire in her voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dingo bazingo, here we are again!

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, folks, to the Revolutionary War AU!


End file.
